BIG CHANGES IN SMALL PLACES.

• Author: Blake, Kathy

Building on their location and assets, some of Rowan County's least-populated communities are attracting large economic development projects. And they're preparing for more.

Salisbury is Rowan County's seat and its largest city. More than 36,200 people lived there in 2020, according to the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management. So, a lot of business is done there. But lately, much of the biggest business is happening in the county's smallest communities.

Department-store chain Macy's, for example, chose China Grove for a $584 million 1,4-million-square-foot fulfillment center, which is expected to open in 2024. And mail-order pet-supply company Chewy built a $55 million 700,000-square-foot distribution center off Interstate 85 near East Spencer. It's expected to create 1,200 jobs by 2025. "We've waited so long for industries to come up 1-85," says Barbara Mallett, mayor of East Spencer, which used grants and other funding to prepare infrastructure and properties for Chewy.

More businesses are expected to follow. "There's between 15 million and 18 million square feet of development being planned, mostly along 1-85 or in close proximity with access, and that's from private developers building spec buildings," says Rod Crider, president and CEO of the Rowan Partnership for Economic Development. "Thirty to 35 buildings are planned within that 18 million square feet. That's like 20 Chewys."

The growth hasn't been by accident or luck. Rowan EDC is in year three of its five-year Forward Rowan plan, which supports existing industry and markets the county to relocating and expanding companies. It has four parts: targeted economic growth, talent attraction and development, brand identity and storytelling, and high-performance service delivery. "It's a plan to advance the economy of our community, reduce poverty, and increase prosperity and the quality of life through economic growth," Crider says. "For our biggest strength, I would rank location and transportation very high and workforce, depending on the company. We're halfway between Atlanta and Washington, halfway between New York and Miami. Then we have 1-85, 1-77, 1-40 and two nearby airports. In 45 minutes, we can be in Hickory. We could pull labor from three metro areas."

Crider says Forward Rowan has changed the county's trajectory. "[The plan] is striving, really, to bring more economic prosperity to our community," he says. "Our history is not a pretty one. During the recession, as one of our county commissioners tells the story, Rowan has the record for losing the most jobs in one day in North Carolina history, when Pillowtex closed. Now, we're a 20-year overnight success story."

While large economic developments, such as Macy's and Chewy, get the biggest headlines, Rowan County Commission Chair Greg Edds says small businesses...